Snapshots
by arabmorgan
Summary: The fleeting moments of life at Shiz: the good, the bad, and everything in between. Musicalverse.
1. Beauty

_**1\. Beauty**_

Sometimes, he watches her, and eventually, she always notices.

"What are you looking at?"

"You."

"Why?"

Looking at her, with that sweetly expectant tilt to her lips, he is glad that he can say truthfully, "Because you're beautiful."

At that, she never fails to blush prettily and preen, with the strangest mix of humility and pride that always makes him smile.

And yet he can't help but feel guilty when she gently laces her fingers between his, and he sees the happiness light up her eyes.

She is beautiful, but she is not the beauty who has waltzed into his life and stolen his heart.

* * *

**A/N:** Because I found a set of prompts that I liked :) The length of these might vary, but I'm not quite sure yet.


	2. Love

_**2\. Love**_

"How do I look, Fabala?"

Elphaba's expression is one of gentle patience as she strokes at a few strands of flyaway hair sticking out from beneath Nessarose's hairband. "You look lovely, my sweet. You always do."

Her sister is barely listening. Instead, she is eyeing herself in the mirror with dissatisfaction written all over her face, her eyes sweeping down and up and down again.

"Actually, I think I'll wear the pink dress instead." She turns to Elphaba with the expression that her sister finds impossible to resist — the slightest crinkle of unhappiness between her brows, lips pressed together in a petulant frown.

Elphaba only smiles and reaches into the closet for the dress in question. "Alright, Nessa. It's almost time though, so we'll have to be quick."

They finish the change just in time to hear the short, sharp rap on the door, and Boq's voice calling politely through the polished wood, "It's me, Miss Nessarose."

"He's here!" The younger girl turns to Elphaba with excitement shining in her eyes, but something in her seems to dim for a moment when her eyes fall on her sister, still in her plain blue Shiz uniform and jacket. "Oh, Fabala." The childhood nickname is all she manages to get out before she falls silent, and Elphaba raises a dark eyebrow.

"What is it, Nessa?"

"I've kept you with me for so long that you'll be late for the party now. You haven't even changed yet." She reaches out for her sister's hand, squeezing the slender green fingers in a silent apology.

"Is that all?" Elphaba chuckles and leans down to press a soft kiss to Nessarose's pale cheek. "I'll get there eventually, don't you worry about me. Besides, I think a certain Munchkin boy is still waiting outside for you."

There is silence for a long moment as the sisters look at each other, and then Nessarose wraps her arms briefly around Elphaba's neck, tugging her close. "Thank you, Fabala." There is a multitude of unsaid words between them, but the sentiments do not need to be exposed to air to exist.

Elphaba watches the Munchkin wheel her sister carefully away until the pair are out of sight. Her smile does not fade; she has something pretty to wear to her first party as well.

* * *

**A/N: **Ah, I forgot to mention they're not in chronological order, heh. Reviews are appreciated :)


	3. Dream

_**3\. Dream**_

"Penny for your thoughts, Miss Thropp?"

Startled out of her reverie, Elphaba shoots Fiyero a dirty look, but he only laughs in response.

"Yes, do tell us what you were thinking, Elphie!" Galinda's tone is eager, as if she's conveniently forgotten about all the times she's asked that very same question, only to be relegated with one of the great mysteries of History or some other subject that Elphaba has been pondering since class.

Elphaba grumbles quietly for a moment. "I wasn't thinking about anything."

Her dismissive response is met with a chorus of identical protests from both Fiyero and Galinda, and she rolls her eyes. Not for the first time, the thought that her two friends are really the most compatible couple on campus in more ways than one passes through her mind.

When "I was just staring blankly at the sky," proves to be a futile answer as well, Elphaba groans and relents.

"Fine, _fine_," she snaps, immediately rendering the waiting pair silent with anticipation. "I just — I was daydreaming about something."

Here, she pauses, and when Galinda opens her mouth to prod her best friend to continue, she is swiftly nudged into silence by Fiyero.

"I have this dream —" Here Elphaba pauses again, looking conflicted. "I'm just a normal person, living in a normal house, in a normal place. Everything is normal."

_Especially me_, is the underlying subtext, of course.

And that is it. Elphaba looks over at Galinda and Fiyero with arched brows, as if daring them to probe further.

There is a heartbeat of silence, before Galinda's smile suddenly resumes its usual megawatt intensity. "And I'll be your normal neighbour living next door to you in another normal house, right? We'll be best friends and neighbours our whole lives, Elphie!"

"What? No towering mansion furnished all in pink for you, Galinda? Are you sure?" Elphaba's grin is equal parts relieved and uncharacteristically sly, and her friend gives a loud gasp of mock offence in response.

With a grin, Fiyero interrupts the sizzling staring match occurring between the two girls. "Okay, I know what I'll be," he announces cheerfully, shifting so that he has one arm slung over each girl's shoulders. "I'll be the abnormally handsome prince living across the road from both of you, and you'll spend your lives squabbling over me. That sounds about right, doesn't it?"

"_Fiyero_!" Elphaba's only reaction is a disbelieving snort, but Galinda's shriek is shrill with indignation. Well-versed in the blonde's offensive tactics, Fiyero is off in a flash before she can hit him over the head with her purse.

With another roll of her eyes, Elphaba leans back to watch the spectacle unfolding before her, an exasperated smile curving her lips. Reality seems to be quite a far cry from her dream, but maybe that's not such a bad thing after all.


	4. Haunted

_**4\. Haunted**_

There are nights when Galinda still jerks awake with the aftertaste of a name on her lips and its fading echo in the air.

On nights like these, she sits up and stares into the darkness blanketing the room, trying very hard to imagine that there's someone in the empty bed across from hers.

There are nights when it's not so difficult to imagine the achingly familiar presence nearby, but there are also nights when it's a little harder to keep on lying to herself.

On nights like these, she can't help wishing that the room is still 'ours' instead of just 'mine'.

Having a suite to herself isn't as much fun as she had thought it would be.


	5. Memory

_**5\. Memory**_

It is a rare day when the five friends manage to sit by each other for a prolonged period of time without dissolving into general noisiness, but it is a situation that gets more and more common as the dreaded exams loom ever nearer.

Nessarose's wheelchair is parked in the shade of an old tree, its branches spreading and drooping as if it too is attempting to take a peek at their textbooks. Boq sits on the grass by one large wheel, his book propped up on the backs of his knees, attempting to concentrate on the words that are beginning to swim before his eyes.

With a tired sigh, he tilts his head back so it is resting on the armrest of the wheelchair, staring up at the slivers of blue sky that are visible through the branches. Absently, without even looking away from her quiet discussion of Quadling lifestyle with Galinda, Nessarose reaches out and begins to comb her fingers gently through his tousled hair.

Tilting his head slightly to the right, Boq can just see the sharp side profile of his girlfriend's sister sitting against the opposite side of the tree's trunk. Not much of Elphaba is visible from his vantage point, but it is obvious that she is thoroughly engrossed in the thick file of neatly-penned notes in her lap.

Moments later, Fiyero's voice comes floating by on the breeze with a rather puzzled question about the economy of Munchkinland, followed by Elphaba's ever-patient answer. Her head turns to the side so that her face is no longer visible to Boq, clearly in response to Fiyero's query.

The sudden whispering brush of a fallen leaf against his cheek makes Boq shiver in surprise, and he lifts a hand to sweep it off. Taking it as a sign that he should get back to studying, he exhales slowly, before lifting his head from the armrest and returning his attention to the waiting textbook. The motions of Nessarose's hand slow, trailing down the back of his head so that her cool fingertips come to rest on his neck as he leans forward again.

The scene is hardly striking in the moment, but in later days, when five become four, and the four begin to crumble, it is a memory that Boq often calls upon. It is a gentle reminder of the way things used to be, but also of the way they can never be again.

* * *

**A/N: **I have a bit of a thing for Bessa, in case it wasn't obvious. Also not sure how this became so angsty at the end OTL


	6. Fragile

_**6\. Fragile**_

Of all the traits Fiyero associates with his friends, fragility has never been one of them.

Elphaba is dogged and resilient; Galinda — he keeps forgetting that she is Glinda now — is outspoken and bubbly; Boq is sturdy and hardworking. Even sweet and gentle Nessarose, possibly the most likely candidate to be thought of as fragile, possesses a well-disguised backbone of steel that only emerges in times of need.

_Fragile_ has never been a word that exists very much in Fiyero's dictionary, at least until he sees the solitary figure step off the train that has come directly from the Emerald City.

_What happened?_ is on the tip of his tongue, but only after _Where's Elphaba?_ crosses his mind. In the end, he ends up saying nothing at all, and only opens his arms wide to the wan-looking girl.

Glinda plunges into his embrace without hesitation, her arms wrapping tightly around his torso. Fiyero is expecting a shower of unstoppable tears, but the minute trembling of her arms and the determined silence that engulfs her instead is far more frightening.

When Glinda pulls back, her lips are pressed together so tightly that they look almost bloodless. Somehow, she manages a shaky and incredibly unconvincing smile, but even that soon slides off her face at the sight of Nessarose waiting behind Fiyero, bewilderment written all over the younger girl's features.

Before Nessarose can ask the question that is surely on all their minds, Glinda abruptly turns for the exit of the train station. Fiyero exchanges a worried glance with the younger girl, before grabbing the handles of her wheelchair and following the subdued blonde outside.

Glinda looks, for lack of a better word, _terrible_, as if a single wrong word might shatter her, but she steps into the waiting carriage outside the train station with her head held high and the curls in her hair immaculate as always.

Fiyero watches her every movement with all the care of a worried parent, and as he reaches out to take her small hand in his, he can't help thinking that he's never seen anyone so fragile and yet so strong at the same time.


	7. Celebration

_**7\. Celebration**_

Many tears accompany the celebration of the first birthday Galinda passes at Shiz. Thankfully, all of them are joyous.

She blinks twice when she opens the door to her room and immediately has her senses assaulted by the enthusiastically-yelled "_Happy birthday_!" from her friends, and the beautiful three-tiered cake topped with pink frosting and prettily flickering candles.

"Oh, I don't know what to say!" Galinda's eyes seem suspiciously wet, and her lashes flutter as she looks around the hastily-decorated room.

The next moment, she proves that she does indeed know exactly what to say as she begins gushing about the 'ingenious plan' to stall her as they set the surprise up, and how she would 'never ever have expected this in a million years'.

Fiyero's grin is huge, and he looks incredibly proud of himself. Beside him, Boq looks faintly overwhelmed by the magnitude of the birthday girl's gratitude, while Nessarose merely looks calmly pleased at their obvious success.

On her sister's other side, Elphaba looks a lot like she's trying to murder her smile before it can escape, but she ends up failing miserably when Galinda engulfs her in a tight hug.

"Cake first, then presents?"

"And games, too!" Boq adds on to Fiyero's initial suggestion with an abashed smile.

The party — which turns surprisingly rowdy — lasts well into the wee hours of the morning, and Galinda looks so happy that not even the Thropp sisters, who are the only ones who might be counted upon to remember such a thing, can find it in themselves to remind everyone that classes start in approximately five hours.

All of them suffer for it the next day, but they don't regret it one bit anyway.


	8. Secret

_**8\. Secret**_

"You don't mind, do you? About…the flowers."

"What?" Glinda's wide eyes shoot up to meet Elphaba's, and a small smile spreads across her face. "No, of course not, Elphie!"

"But _you're_ his girlfriend."

"He gave you flowers because you got invited to meet the Wizard, Elphie. The _Wizard_!" Glinda rolls her eyes affectionately, and it looks strangely out of place on her face, more proof that Elphaba is rubbing off on her in more ways than one.

"Yes, I suppose you're right."

Elphaba falls silent and stares down at the rather amateur bouquet of bright red poppies clutched in her hands, looking slightly downcast, while Glinda's attention soon wanders to the exotic landscape flashing by the train windows.

The secret hovers on the edge of her tongue, but the moment is already gone, and she swallows it back down along with a multitude of apologies and regret.


	9. Promise

_**9\. Promise**_

"I hear that this has been happening more and more often. Is it true?"

"It certainly has. This is the fourth time already, and you still remember that you visited just recently on the first occasion?"

"Ah, yes, I do remember. Absolutely terrible, no respect for you as a teacher at all."

"With all due respect, Madame, I think that this is less about respect towards teachers and more about respect for —"

"Yes, yes, rest assured that I fully understand your concerns, Doctor Dillamond. I promise that I'll look into it to the best of my ability."

Ignoring the teacher's obvious unease, the Head Shiztress takes one last look at the ugly scrawled words on the blackboard before walking away.

* * *

**A/N: **None of our favourite students, but...at least it's our favourite Goat?


	10. Innocence

_**10\. Innocence**_

Four pairs of eyes stare down at the shocking headline that is all but leaping off the page at them.

Fiyero is the first to look away with a sharp exhalation, but Glinda seems almost transfixed as she rereads the large text over and over again.

"Glinda…" Boq's eyes flick anxiously from her face to the paper, while Nessarose does the same between _his_ face and Glinda's.

"She's innocent." Her voice is sharp and brittle, brooking no argument, and a taut silence falls over the diminished group.

A moment passes, and Nessarose's chin lifts fractionally, in defiance of something even she can't quite identify. "Is she?" Her words are immeasurably cold.

Boq glances from one girl to the other, before he sighs in resignation and dashes after Nessarose to help push her wheelchair up the slope on the way back to her room.

This time, the resulting silence stays unbroken.


	11. Moonlight

_**11\. Moonlight**_

There is a particular bench situated right outside the dorms that Glinda favours. It is only a recent occurrence; before, she would never have taken a second look at that serene resting place, half-hidden by the protective branches of the overhanging trees.

She likes to sit there on the nights when she finds it difficult to fall asleep in a room which feels somehow colder and emptier than before. Most of the time, Fiyero will sit beside her, his arm wrapped around her shoulder as they each immerse themselves in the separate chaos of their own thoughts.

Sometimes, Fiyero will touch his lips lightly to the top of her head, so insubstantial that she can barely feel it. Other times, he only looks at her silently, seeming almost confused as a dozen different emotions flash across his eyes, but Glinda never notices the conflict that rages within him.

He always kisses her before they part, on the steps of the girls' dorms, and every time she tilts her head up to his, she somehow always reminds him of Elphaba. The gentle wash of moonlight makes her hair glow luminescent, shadows the hollows of her cheeks and neck, paints her skin a ghostly blue. She looks fey and wild, otherworldly in the way that only Elphaba ever once was.

He is a fool, because despite his expectations, Glinda will never be Elphaba, and he is doubly a fool, because he never learns, and he keeps kissing her anyway.

Instead, the only thing he learns is that sadness has a flavour, and that flavour is Glinda Upland.

* * *

**A/N: **The first version of this was actually pre-Defying Gravity, but I decided I hated it, so I ended up with this instead.


	12. Whisper

_**12\. Whisper**_

"Honestly, Elphie, you should have seen his face!"

Elphaba's noncommittal "Hmm," would be unpromising to most, but Galinda only takes it as her cue to plunge onward with her usual enthusiasm.

"It was just one syllable of his name, and I didn't even mess it up _that_ badly." This is accompanied by a haughty sniff and a toss of golden curls, and Elphaba decides not to point out that Boq is only a one-syllable name in the first place.

A sharp cough interrupts the conspicuous giggles. "Miss Upland, if you're _quite_ done with your incessant whispering, perhaps you would like to answer the question I just asked?"

Galinda's eyes widen in surprise as she looks up, less like a deer caught in the headlights than a deliberate effort to charm the unimpressed-looking professor.

"We're waiting."

_Damn._ She looks down at her desk, nibbling on a carefully-glossed bottom lip, as if the answer might appear magically in front of her — which in fact it does, on a lined piece of paper that has clearly been torn out of her best friend's precious notebook.

Elphaba glances over at Galinda out of the corner of her eye and scowls, albeit in a somewhat affectionate manner.

Galinda beams in response.


	13. Echo

_**13\. Echo**_

Sometimes, Nessarose is almost convinced that Elphaba is dead, because she is sure that her sister is haunting her.

"Have you eaten, Nessa?"

"Do you need help, Nessa?"

"Here, Nessa, I'll get that for you."

There is nothing her friends can say that don't remind her of the sister she has loved and lost.

Even the awkward manner in which Madame Morrible attempts to ineptly tuck her into bed only makes the phantom voice stronger, as if she could ever mistake the flamboyant Headshiztress for her own sister.

"Goodnight, dearie," the woman croons, before shutting the door softly behind her.

"_Goodnight, my sweet."_ And Nessarose swears she feels the barest brush of lips against her forehead in the darkened room.

She cries herself to sleep at night with the fading echoes of Elphaba's voice in her mind, because the one person she might have turned to for comfort is no longer within reach.


	14. Jealousy

_**14\. Jealousy**_

"Cut it out, you two. We're in public!" Elphaba hisses, looking scandalized.

Galinda coughs, looking embarrassed, while Fiyero merely glances over at Elphaba with a startled expression that he swiftly covers with an insolent smirk.

"Why, are you _jealous_, Miss Elphaba?" Their eyes meet, and he knows that she hears it for the genuine question it is rather than the snarky response he has disguised it as.

"_Fiyero_!" Galinda hits him on the arm reprovingly, before latching on to Elphaba. "Come on, Elphie, let's leave him behind."

"Yes, let's." She shoots him a hard look before turning away, arm-in-arm with her best friend.

It takes him a full minute of strolling along behind the two girls to realise that she still hasn't answered his question.


	15. Passion

_**15\. Passion**_

There's just _something_ about Fiyero that makes her heart beat faster and her skin tingle with what feels like anticipation.

It's the way he looks at her like she's the prettiest thing he's ever laid eyes on; the silky smooth words that slip off his tongue, meant just for her; the way all the other girls look at him while she twirls out of his arms, secure in the knowledge that he is _hers_.

"Do you ever think about how we started dating?" She leans her head against his shoulder and giggles at the thought.

"Because you were the prettiest girl in the whole school," he whispers into her hair, and she can feel it when his lips curve into a smirk, "and you still are."

His arm wraps around her shoulders, tugging her even closer as his head tilts towards hers. Galinda smiles as her lids lower. It's not the answer she's been hoping for, but she's learnt to be content with what she has.

Maybe it's just passion, but maybe that's enough for now.

* * *

**A/N:** Sometimes I feel like Fiyero was never good enough for G(a)linda; he either never took her seriously enough or had Elphaba on the brain. And yet I enjoy the pairing (although if I'm honest, I pretty much enjoy every pairing).


	16. Lies

_**16\. Lies**_

Nessarose looks somewhat surprised when she looks up from her book to find her possibly-ex-boyfriend standing mere feet away from her.

"Um, hello." Boq blinks, face flushing at being caught in the middle of making a hasty retreat.

She stares at his face for a moment, before her gaze travels down to the books in his hands, and then flicks around the crowded library.

"You can sit," she says imperiously, like a wronged queen extending an olive branch of forgiveness, although it still sounds more like a command than anything else.

Hesitantly, the Munchkin takes a seat opposite the quietly watching girl and flips one of his books open.

Almost half an hour of uncomfortable silence passes before Nessarose says quietly, "You still haven't explained why you left so suddenly that day." Her voice is tight and strained, the way it always becomes whenever she thinks back to the last time she saw her sister.

Boq swallows quietly before lifting his head slowly to meet her eyes. "I just…wasn't sure if we were, uh, right for each other."

No mention is made of the catalyst of his hasty exit, nor does the slightest hint of skepticism enter Nessarose's features in spite of his frankly pathetic excuse.

"When will you be sure?" she asks calmly.

"I'm — I don't know yet. I'll let you know." Boq doesn't think he's ever felt smaller than the way he's feeling right now.

Nessarose makes a soft hum of acknowledgement and returns to her book, her expression guarded. Boq slumps in his seat, casting anxious glances at her every few seconds.

"Nessa...how are you holding up? I've been worried." After all they've been through, he's still used to a Nessarose who smiles at him, and talks about more than he actually wants to hear about. The coolness of her demeanour saddens him more than anything else.

She doesn't even look up at him, as if her affected nonchalance can fool him as well as she fools herself. "I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry if this feels sort of rough. I left it alone for a bit but I still can't seem to express it properly, so here you are.


	17. Regrets

_**17\. Regrets**_

Having swiftly established herself as the most popular girl in school, Galinda has gotten quite used to parading around campus with a group of friends — although it might be more accurate to call them her entourage instead, given that all they do is trail along a step behind her and agree with everything she says.

"How do I look?"

"Silver or gold?"

"Has anyone finished our History homework?"

At any given moment, a chorus of eager voices are all too delighted to give Galinda the answer she most desires, and she revels in the attention.

The only downside to having friends like Pfannee and Shenshen, who never seem to tire of imitating her every gesture, is that they begin to disappear from her side the moment a distraction appears on the horizon, and more often that not that distraction is male.

At these times, when she is left to return to her dorm room alone, without the cacophony of conversation around her that she has grown used to, Galinda almost regrets the fact that she isn't friends with her roommate. Now, there is nothing but a sullen silence to look forward to in her suite.

Of course, that thought only lasts until the moment she opens the door and catches sight of the strangely-coloured girl, sitting cross-legged on her bed and twirling a pen between her fingers. The mere fact that she exists at all is detestable in itself, and Galinda quickly remembers that there's nothing to regret at all.


	18. Trust

_**18\. Trust**_

She fixes him with an annoyed frown, one that he has long since learned not to fear. Too much, anyway.

"I'm not helpless, you know."

"Oh, I know. Trust me, I know."

She rolls her eyes and directs a withering glare at him, clearly unimpressed by his dazzling wit.

"_Fiyero_."

"Come on, Elphie, I'm just walking you from the library to your room. It's not like I'm defending you from the Gale Force or anything."

"Don't call me that." The words slip out automatically from sheer force of habit, but the acid has left her voice, and it almost sounds like she might be fighting back a smile. "Besides, I doubt you'd be able to take on the Gale Force even if you tried."

He places a hand over his heart, teeth flashing in the dim lighting as he grins. "Ouch, that hurt."

"So you see, you can trust me to stay safe on my own."

Fiyero only chuckles and shakes his head in resignation. "Oz, you're stubborn."

They bicker all the way back, because the fact is he _does_ trust Elphaba to take care of herself. He just doesn't want her to have to.


	19. Revenge

_**19\. Revenge**_

There is a little-known fact about Elphaba that few but Galinda are privy to — despite her stoic façade, she is not above a little petty revenge to get even with anyone who has wronged her a few too many times.

She no longer stashes Galinda's favourite pair of sparkly heels in her own closet for weeks at a time, because the blonde caught on after the third time.

She doesn't hide insects under those garish pink covers anymore either, not after Galinda literally passed out on the floor at the horrifying sight the very first time she tried that.

Instead, Elphaba is forced to be a little more creative in her acts of revenge.

"Oh _Oz_!" Galinda's shriek is still echoing in the room when she crashes out of the bathroom in a fury. "What have you _done_? I _hate_ you!"

She storms over to the door before pausing with her hand on the knob — there's no way she's going out in public with _pink hair_. With another hysterical screech of anger, she promptly runs back into the bathroom and slams the door shut.

Elphaba looks up over the book she is reading and calls, "But isn't pink your favourite colour?" The smile on her face when she hears the shower begin to run is incredibly sly.

"Why is it turning _blue_?"

Revenge is incredibly sweet when you know a frivolous spell or two.


	20. Beach

_**20\. Beach**_

"What _is_ that?" Elphaba scowls at the dubious-looking contraption laying at the water's edge.

At the same time, Galinda exclaims, "Wow, it looks fun!"

Fiyero looks perfectly pleased with both responses. "_That_," he says cheerfully, "is what's going to take you para-sailing. That, and that boat out there."

"It doesn't look safe." Elphaba fixes him with a flat look. "I thought we were going to have a picnic at the beach." It is testimony to how little she likes the look of the waiting harness that she almost sounds eager to start the picnic.

"We _are_, Elphie! Right after you try this para-sailing thing," Galinda chirps, and Elphaba sighs. Of _course_ she has to be the one to try it — she, who is supremely unexcited about the whole thing, unlike a certain best friend of hers.

There is no sense in trying to find any logic in Galinda's thought process.

"It's perfectly safe. I come here with the boys all the time," Fiyero insists, seeming to sense Elphaba's discontent. "We love it."

In the end, when she is five hundred feet up in the air with the wind whipping her hair in all directions and her friends just specks on the ground, Elphaba learns that she loves it too.

She can see the whole beach from that height and it leaves her breathless — even though it's not _really_ a beach, because Oz is all but landlocked, which means that she is floating above nothing more than a glorified lake whose opposite shore she can now just barely make out.

The freedom all around her is like nothing she's ever felt before, and the smile on her face is wider than any her friends have ever seen. At this height, her problems seem to vanish, insignificant in the face of a vaster reality that lies sprawled out below her.

If she could just fly like this every day, Elphaba thinks that she might never be unhappy again.


	21. Midnight

_**21\. Midnight**_

It is a time that, surprisingly, many people hold dear — the second the clock strikes twelve in the dead of night.

Down at the Ozdust, Fiyero grins in an almost predatory manner. The night is still young and the _real_ fun is only just getting started.

A few feet away, Galinda giggles, twirling unsteadily in her silver heels. By this time, almost everyone is slightly tipsy, but not obnoxiously so. Everything is beautiful (but not as beautiful as her), and everyone is happy, and that is just the way she likes it.

In their dorm room, Elphaba lays her textbook on her bedside table and pulls her blanket over herself. She shuts her eyes with a sigh that sounds very much like relief; sleep is a welcome reprieve from the endless grind of academic and social issues that wear her down bit by bit each day.

Three floors up, Nessarose stares out into the darkness. It is the end of one day and the start of another, where she will, yet again, have to navigate the unabashed stares and inevitable distance that everyone seems to want to put between themselves and her. She is incredibly tired, but she'll never let it show.

One building over, Boq mumbles to himself as he lies spread-eagled on his bed. It is midnight, and he is dreaming of his imaginary first kiss with Galinda before she declares her passionate and undying love for him. It is a very good dream.


	22. Confession

_**22\. Confession**_

"I like you." There is the slightest tremble in her voice, sadness tempered by hope.

"What?"

The slight hesitation in his words hardens her eyes, and her jaw clenches resolutely. "I said, I _like_ you."

"_Like_?" Boq repeats again apprehensively, as if he can't quite figure out what the slight fluctuation in intonation might imply. He feels like a cornered mouse, frozen with terror.

For a brief second, it looks as if she might actually burst into tears at his response, but just then, a flurry of colour crashes into the room.

"Oh — sorry, am I interrupting something?" Glinda flushes, halting awkwardly in mid-step.

Nessarose's eyes flash dangerously for a moment as she meets Glinda's confused gaze, and she bites out from between gritted teeth, "It's fine, Boq was just leaving."

"Um, yes…" Boq inches towards Glinda nervously, as if expecting to be run over by Nessarose's wheelchair.

"Perhaps I should come back later?"

Nessarose almost looks like she might have an aneurysm at the thought of Glinda and Boq leaving her room together.

"_No._" Glinda actually steps back from the sheer force of the younger girl's glare, before hesitantly walking past the frightened Munchkin to Nessarose's side.

The click of the door marks Boq's exit, and almost immediately, all the hostility seems to drain out of Nessarose in a slow rush. "What do you want?" she asks, looking wearily at Glinda.

"I just wanted to see if you were okay, after...you know." Glinda sighs, misunderstanding the expression on the younger girl's face, and bends to give Nessarose a hug. "Oh, Nessa."

The tension doesn't leave Nessarose's shoulders, but she slowly closes her eyes and allows herself to lean her forehead against Glinda's shoulder anyway.


	23. Crush

_**23\. Crush**_

Sometimes, Elphaba honestly doesn't understand how she got to this point.

She still remembers the day she met Fiyero for the first time, when the first impression he had given her was that even if he _was_ a prince, some village out there must surely have been missing its idiot.

And now here she is, full to the brim with emotions she can't express.

"How does she look, Fiyero?" Galinda asks excitedly, almost bouncing with happiness. "She looks pretty, right?"

Elphaba looks critically at her reflection in the mirror behind the seated prince. "Galinda, you _know_ that red clashes spectacularly with my skin," she points out dryly, "and I don't mean spectactular in a good way." And yet she can't help turning slightly to get a better view of herself.

"Not _this _shade," Galinda insists knowingly. "Right, Fiyero?"

He only shrugs, clearly clueless. "Elphaba always looks pretty." And he smiles at her in that guileless way of his that always leaves her hot with embarrassment, even though there is absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about.

Under the pretext of changing out of the dress, she bustles back into the dressing room of the store before they can see how flushed her cheeks have become.

When she steps back out, Galinda demands loudly, "So are you getting it, Elphie? You really should, you know. Trust me!" Elphaba looks over her best friend's shoulder at Fiyero, who is, for some inexplicable reason, currently preoccupied with checking if the dresses Galinda has shoved into his arms have petticoats.

She really doesn't think she will ever understand this crush.

In the end, she ends up paying for the dress she doesn't want, all for the boy she _does_.


	24. Rain

_**24\. Rain**_

"Miss Upland!"

The blonde turns slowly at the call, and the Headshiztress wastes no time in rushing up to her as fast as the slippery cobblestones of the path will allow.

"Miss Upland!" Madame Morrible repeats sharply, even as she considerately extends her umbrella over Glinda's head. It doesn't make much difference, since her golden locks are already dripping rainwater steadily onto the ground.

_These sorcery types are all the same_, Madame Morrible can't help thinking in annoyance. _Standing out in the rain without an umbrella as if they're immune to colds or something._ Morrible herself is, of course, an exception, since she is always prepared for rain or shine with an umbrella ― or just a twirl of her hands.

"Now, I know that your friend's departure has been a most trying time for you," she says imperiously, as if Elphaba has merely returned to Munchkinland instead of swooping out of the Wizard's castle into the great unknown, "but that is no reason to neglect your studies. The Wizard sees a _lot _of potential in you, my dear. Isn't that thrillifying?"

Glinda looks up at the Headshiztress dully. "Yes, Madame," she responds, her tone oddly meek. "I'm sorry I've been missing classes."

Morrible frowns; she can tell she isn't getting through to the silly girl at all. "Continue to learn from me and I'm sure you'll be able to find your friend soon enough. Sorcery is a very useful art, after all," she points out, with a smile that looks more conniving than motherly.

If Glinda wonders why Morrible doesn't just utilise her skills to locate Elphaba right this moment, she says nothing of it. Instead, something in her eyes brightens, and her gaze focuses searchingly on her teacher.

Finally, she gives a single nod, and Madame Morrible beams, flinging her arm around the girl's shoulders and holding back a wince at the damp seeping into her sleeve. "Excellent!" she exclaims cheerily. "Now let's get you back indoors, my dear. You really _mustn't_ get wet."


	25. Letters

_**25\. Letters**_

Dear Father,

I write to you bearing some very good news from Elphaba ― her talent for sorcery has so impressed the great Wizard himself that she has been invited to the Emerald City to meet him! She hasn't said much about it, but I can tell she is both humbled and thrilled by the invitation. She leaves for the city in a week, and rest assured that I have taken the opportunity to remind her to be on her best behaviour on your behalf, although I have no doubt that she will conduct herself perfectly well before His Ozness.

On another note, I have been faring well at Shiz with my friends. I beg you not to concern yourself too much with my wellbeing, because my sister and friends have been doing that enough already. Boq, the Munchkinlander I wrote to you about before, has been most solicitous about my comfort, and a deep friendship has formed between us. Also, I urge you not to worry about the Vinkus prince's possibly stained reputation ― he has made no dubious moves on me at all. Besides, he is currently dating Elphaba's best friend, and he is clearly very much in love with her. He often stares at her when she is deep in conversation with Elphaba and he thinks no one is watching.

I miss you and the whole of Munchkinland very much, and I eagerly await the upcoming summer when I will finally be able to see you again.

Lots of love,  
Nessarose

* * *

My dearest Nessarose,

I am pleased to hear that your sister is finally showing some promise after so many years of trailing in your shadow. Your Headshiztress must surely be a formidable woman if she is able to constrain Elphaba's wild powers into something impressive, and yet I still worry that she will lose her head in front of His Ozness and attempt something beyond her abilities. Your sister is prone to being prideful; do warn her against such hubris before her departure whenever possible.

It warms my heart immensely to hear how happy you sound amongst your motley group of friends at school. A word of advice, however, my dear: do be wary of the boy Boq ― the nicer adolescent boys are, the deeper and darker their ulterior motives. Your friendship may not be all he desires. I am not at all surprised to hear that your sister would befriend a girl such as the one dating the notorious Vinkus prince, and I would advise you to distance yourself from them should they display any unseemly behaviours. Of course, I leave your final choice of friendships to your own discretion.

I shall be counting down the days until you return home.

Love,  
Your Father  
Frexspar Thropp  
Governor of Munchkinland

* * *

**A/N:** This will be ending at 30 chapters, so 5 more to go! (To think that I originally intended to finish 100 prompts...but I simply don't have enough characters to work with _and_ keep it canon-compatible at the same time. Oh well.)


	26. Dark

_**26\. Dark**_

"I can't believe we're doing this." Fiyero has an uncharacteristically sulky expression on his face as he scuffs the sole of his shoe on the ground. "We could be having so much more fun somewhere else."

"As Shiz students, we have a responsibility to support our school's fundraising efforts," Elphaba responds primly.

"We don't even know how safe it is!" Fiyero protests, glancing none-too-subtly back at Nessarose, who is being pushed along in her wheelchair by Boq. Unfortunately, his appeals to Elphaba's sisterly concern fall flat when she blithely points out that Madame Morrible is a stickler for safety, and that she surely won't allow any dangerous attractions to operate on the university grounds.

"Oh, don't complain, dearest," Galinda chides from where she is clinging on to Fiyero's arm affectionately. "Elphie is obviously _so_ excited to enter the Horror House! Don't spoil her fun."

"I am _not_ excited," Elphaba protests ineffectually, but it is a blatant lie.

A high-pitched, mechanical cackling rings out around them the moment they step into the darkened passageway, and Fiyero swallows audibly. Galinda's grip tightens to the point of discomfort, but he doesn't protest.

"Wow, they really made the school look abandoned," Boq mutters from somewhere behind him, sounding impressed.

"It's really dark," Fiyero points out needlessly, thankful that his voice doesn't crack in the middle of those three words.

"Not really. You can still see." Elphaba sounds downright cheerful as she leads the way forward, peering about curiously as if she is waiting for something to leap out at her so she can make friends with it.

The door to a classroom creaks open as Fiyero and Galinda pass it by, and against all his instincts screaming at him to run, something makes him pause to look into the gaping chasm. Green eyes of flame flash out at him from the darkness, and a low moan sounds as something drags itself closer.

Two seconds later, Fiyero pelts past Elphaba like a bat out of hell, dragging a shrieking Galinda — who honestly doesn't really know what she's shrieking at — alongside him. His hysterical screams increase sharply in volume when he rounds a corner and runs into yet another shambling monstrosity.

Elphaba smirks at the commotion up ahead. _Princes_.


	27. Flower

_**27\. Flower**_

He doesn't know why he keeps fighting it.

She is a perfectly nice girl, one who, in spite of everything, still has a heart large enough for affection. Besides, crushes always pass, don't they?

Glinda and Fiyero are closer than ever now, and Boq does not begrudge them that, because they are also more subdued than he has ever seen them. What he _does_ begrudge, however, is the fact that Nessarose is so often left on her own now that the two of them have formed their own little mourning party.

There is true affection somewhere in his pity for her — their friendship might have started waist-deep in deception, but over the months Boq has learned that she is a good person and an even better friend.

"Nessa."

She looks around at the sound of her name, the chilly wind whipping her long hair wildly around her face. She doesn't seem to feel the cold as she moves to brush the offending strands out of the way. Instead, she looks more apprehensive than anything else, her mind clearly on her botched love confession of a week ago.

Silently, Boq draws his right hand out from behind his back and presents a small bouquet of pale pink azaleas to the seated girl. A small smile tilts the edges of his lips when she reaches out to take it, wide-eyed and disbelieving. He doesn't know if she understands the meaning behind the flower he has chosen, but he supposes it doesn't really matter.

"Let's go inside," he says quietly. "It's getting cold."

The only answer she gives him is a swift smile, brighter than any he has seen in a long while.

_Fragile passion; take care of yourself; stay beautiful._ The delicate petals flutter in the breeze as the pair make their way slowly into the shelter of the building.

* * *

**A/N:** A little bit of Bessa for Doglover645, because I like the way you like it aha. And wow, thanks for the reviews guys! Seems y'all like the funny stuff huh :)


	28. Snow

_**28\. Snow**_

A subtle pout adorns Nessarose's lips, and a much more open frown expresses Galinda's obvious dissatisfaction as both girls squint up into the sky with identical sighs of disappointment.

"I thought it would definitely be snowing by now," Galinda sighs, chewing on her bottom lip anxiously. "I was looking forward to having a snowball fight."

Elphaba tilts her head upwards, mimicking the other girls. "Maybe next week," she suggests unsympathetically. She's never participated in an actual snowball fight before, although she's had her fair share thrown at her by sneering Munchkinland kids, and it's never felt particularly fun to her.

"Maybe," Galinda agrees morosely. "Let's go get a popsicle."

Elphaba raises a brow. "Popsicles in winter?" All three of them end up traipsing across the large courtyard over to the school gates anyway ― Galinda's cravings should always be taken seriously, that much they have learnt.

They've barely taken a step out of the school when the first snowflake flutters right past Elphaba's eyes, and she stops dead in her tracks. She looks up curiously at the fickle sky before going very still, and her voice is hushed when she says, "Nessa, Galinda…look."

The snow is coming down in flurries and drifts, so thick that it looks more like a snowstorm than anything else, although there is a complete lack of howling wind that proves the area to be safe. Already, within the span of a few moments, the cobblestone beneath their feet is covered with the faintest hint of white.

"No _way_!" Galinda's delighted shriek pierces the air, making both sisters wince. "The great Wizard himself must have heard me! Don't you think so? It _has_ to be!"

From an open window on the second floor, the Headshiztress looks down at the three girls ― two excited and one not so much ― and chuckles. It's always nice to see her students so happy, even if it does mean a change in the weather.

* * *

**A/N:** This chapter was already pre-written, so the next chapter will be SkySorrow's Fiyeraba (I do not guarantee lack of angst aha), and...I'm not sure about the last one. We'll see :)


	29. Temptation

_**29\. Temptation**_

"I'm not going, Fiyero. What's wrong with you?"

"No, what's wrong with _you_? Who doesn't want muffins?" Fiyero looks utterly scandalized.

Elphaba rolls her eyes. "I don't not want muffins, but I have a test tomorrow, so I can't get them with you now," she explains patiently, as if he is all of three years old.

"Galinda specially told me to sit here and make sure you aren't working too hard," Fiyero mutters mutinously, his lower lip jutting out in a pout, "and between you and her, I'm definitely more afraid of her."

"Galinda won't be back till evening; she doesn't have to know. And since when have you ever cared about being truthful?"

"Hey, I have _never_ lied in my life!" Fiyero shakes his head, taking offence at that patently untrue statement, and stands. Moving to stand by Elphaba's bed, his hand wraps around her wrist lightly as he begins to tug at her arm ineffectually like a whining child.

"Come on, it's only going to take five minutes!"

"Fiyero, _stop_!" Elphaba sounds genuinely annoyed now, and she pulls away so hard that he overbalances and almost topples over her onto the bed. They are saved by his excellent reflexes, and his hand shoots out to slam into the headboard right by Elphaba's ear, leaving them nose-to-nose but otherwise safe from excessive bodily contact.

Elphaba has, strangely, gone very still. Her eyes are stretched wide as she stares resolutely at his nose, and at that moment it is like they are thrown back in time with the Lion cub mewling pitifully beside them, oblivious to the charged atmosphere crackling between the two.

Everything seems to go silent in Fiyero's ears as he begins to dip his head ever so slightly, but the next moment Elphaba's hand is on his chest, holding him at arm's length, and his eyes widen slowly, like someone waking from a long, deep sleep. He can feel the hummingbird beat of her heart though her palm, or maybe it's just his own ― he doesn't know anymore.

"I'm going to get muffins." The words come out in a breathless rush, and he dashes out of the room before she can even respond. He stops short on the other side of the door, leaning against it and staring blankly out into the distance as he waits for his pulse to stop racing.

He doesn't know that just a few feet away, Elphaba is tipping her head back and closing her eyes with a tremulous sigh, the guilty thrill of temptation running through both their veins.


	30. Autumn

_**30\. Autumn**_

"I'm going out to buy a pair of gloves," Glinda singsongs cheerfully as she begins to slip her shoes on. "Emerald City gloves are _all _the rage now. Maybe I'll just buy a pair for everyone as souvenirs."

Elphaba looks up promptly, her brows raising. "Do you want me to come with you? And _what_ are you wearing?" She sounds more amused than shocked at the sight of a lime green scarf wound snugly around Glinda's neck.

"Please, Elphie, your nose has been stuck in that book ever since you bought it," Glinda points out with a long-suffering roll of her eyes as she stares pointedly at the copy of _A Comprehensive and Magnificent History of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz_ resting in her friend's lap. "You're coming with me to watch Wizomania tonight, so I guess you can miss this."

Elphaba snorts at Glinda's reluctant sigh, and the way she is acting as if she is doing Elphaba a huge favour, but the blonde's smile swiftly brightens when she does a quick twirl to display her striking scarf. "Oh, _this_ old thing? It's called localisation, Elphie! Now I'll blend in with everyone else!"

"Right…" Elphaba decides to forego informing Glinda that _everything_ will look green with the glasses anyway, in favour of pointing out dryly, "It's only autumn, and _barely_ autumn at that. You might get heatstroke."

"I will _not_!" Glinda waves her hand around dismissively, determined to ignore any and all words of logic. "I'm going now, Elphie. Don't miss me too much!" She blows a kiss and a giggle over to her straight-faced best friend, before all but skipping over to the door.

"Have fun," Elphaba calls, only allowing the slightest hint of a smile to show once Glinda is out of sight. "See you!" She shakes her head with a low chuckle when the door clicks shut, still smiling faintly as she returns to her book.

This is how they always part, in the way best friends do ― never with a final _goodbye_, because for them it is always a_ see you later_.

* * *

**A/N:** I actually finished this in exactly two months! Thanks for sticking around, especially everyone who's taken the time to leave a review or ten — y'all always make my day :)


End file.
